The Carbon Neutral Company
Encyclopedia
The CarbonNeutral Company is a global provider of carbon reduction solutions. Founded in 1997, the company has been one of the first providers of voluntary carbon offset credits in the world. Today, the company works with businesses in 32 countries to help them measure and reduce their carbon emissions, primarily through the sale of carbon offset
s. The CarbonNeutral Company is the issuer of the CarbonNeutral certification which is underpinned by The CarbonNeutral Protocol
.
started to be discussed by the broader public and the Kyoto Protocol
constituted a compliance market for greenhouse gas emissions, the private sector started to take voluntary action.
In 1997, Sue Welland and Dan Morrell founded the company as Future Forests in an effort to engage the private sector voluntarily to take responsibility for their impact on the climate. The company offered both companies and individuals the chance to offset the emissions that they are responsible for.
In 1998, the company registered the CarbonNeutral trademark and provided clients who offset their emissions a certificate of being CarbonNeutral.
First famous supporters were artists like Joe Strummer
, who developed the idea for the business together with the founders of the company around a campfire in 1996. More notable customers and supporters were Al Gore
, The Rolling Stones
, who went for the first CarbonNeutral rock tour around the U.S. in 2003, Pink Floyd
, Foo Fighters
, Dido
, Orlando Bloom
, Brad Pitt
and Leonardo Di Caprio, who became the first CarbonNeutral citizen in 2003.
In 2004, The Day After Tomorrow
received CarbonNeutral movie status.
The notation CarbonNeutral is a registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral Company. For businesses to be awarded the CarbonNeutral certification they have to comply with The Carbon Neutral Protocol
which lays out the scopes of emissions to be included and the type of reduction measures to be taken.
The expression carbon neutral was chosen as Word of the Year 2006 by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
s.
According to the Carbon Management and Offsetting Trends Survey 2009, The CarbonNeutral Company is the most recognised offset provider in Europe and ranks among the three most recognised offset providers in the world.
The company’s approach is to help its clients plan their carbon management strategy, measure carbon emissions, set targets for reductions, reduce emissions through a combination of internal reductions and carbon offsets and communicate the action that has been taken in a credible manner.
To ensure quality in its operations, the company developed a global standard for carbon neutral certification: The Carbon Neutral Protocol
which lays out the requirements a business must meet in order for it, its services or its products to be certified CarbonNeutral.
According to this protocol, all projects must be validated and verified by independent third parties such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS)
, Gold Standard
and Climate Action Reserve (CAR).
The company’s operations are audited by PwC
to ensure proper retiring of credits and no double counting.
UPS
, for example, offers carbon neutral shipping, SAS Scandinavian Airlines
provides carbon neutral fights, and Avis Europe
has carbon neutral operations and offers carbon neutral driving.
Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....
s. The CarbonNeutral Company is the issuer of the CarbonNeutral certification which is underpinned by The CarbonNeutral Protocol
Carbon Neutral Protocol
The CarbonNeutral Protocol is a global standard which underpins the CarbonNeutral® certification which is awarded by The CarbonNeutral Company to its clients and related products or services. It is a standard for validating carbon offsetting programmes which lead to carbon neutrality...
.
History
In the 1990s, when climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
started to be discussed by the broader public and the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
constituted a compliance market for greenhouse gas emissions, the private sector started to take voluntary action.
In 1997, Sue Welland and Dan Morrell founded the company as Future Forests in an effort to engage the private sector voluntarily to take responsibility for their impact on the climate. The company offered both companies and individuals the chance to offset the emissions that they are responsible for.
In 1998, the company registered the CarbonNeutral trademark and provided clients who offset their emissions a certificate of being CarbonNeutral.
First famous supporters were artists like Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
, who developed the idea for the business together with the founders of the company around a campfire in 1996. More notable customers and supporters were Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, who went for the first CarbonNeutral rock tour around the U.S. in 2003, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
, Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
and Leonardo Di Caprio, who became the first CarbonNeutral citizen in 2003.
In 2004, The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
received CarbonNeutral movie status.
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount of carbon reductions.The notation CarbonNeutral is a registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral Company. For businesses to be awarded the CarbonNeutral certification they have to comply with The Carbon Neutral Protocol
Carbon Neutral Protocol
The CarbonNeutral Protocol is a global standard which underpins the CarbonNeutral® certification which is awarded by The CarbonNeutral Company to its clients and related products or services. It is a standard for validating carbon offsetting programmes which lead to carbon neutrality...
which lays out the scopes of emissions to be included and the type of reduction measures to be taken.
The expression carbon neutral was chosen as Word of the Year 2006 by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
Controversy
The concept of neutralising carbon emissions by financing carbon reduction projects, known as offsetting, is controversial. The arguments for and against are elaborated upon in the Wikipedia article on carbon offsetCarbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....
s.
The company
The CarbonNeutral Company offers carbon reduction solutions by helping companies to measure and reduce their carbon emissions and offset the remainder.According to the Carbon Management and Offsetting Trends Survey 2009, The CarbonNeutral Company is the most recognised offset provider in Europe and ranks among the three most recognised offset providers in the world.
The company’s approach is to help its clients plan their carbon management strategy, measure carbon emissions, set targets for reductions, reduce emissions through a combination of internal reductions and carbon offsets and communicate the action that has been taken in a credible manner.
Projects and standards
Over the last decade the company has worked with 200 projects in 24 countries. It contracted approximately 2 million tonnes of CO2e in 2009.To ensure quality in its operations, the company developed a global standard for carbon neutral certification: The Carbon Neutral Protocol
Carbon Neutral Protocol
The CarbonNeutral Protocol is a global standard which underpins the CarbonNeutral® certification which is awarded by The CarbonNeutral Company to its clients and related products or services. It is a standard for validating carbon offsetting programmes which lead to carbon neutrality...
which lays out the requirements a business must meet in order for it, its services or its products to be certified CarbonNeutral.
According to this protocol, all projects must be validated and verified by independent third parties such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS)
Voluntary Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard is a quality standard for voluntary carbon offset industry. Based on the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, VCS establishes criteria for validating, measuring, and monitoring carbon offset projects....
, Gold Standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
and Climate Action Reserve (CAR).
The company’s operations are audited by PwC
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
to ensure proper retiring of credits and no double counting.
Certifications and clients
The CarbonNeutral certification is a carbon eco label certifying a net zero carbon footprint. Currently, the company is working with approximately 500 clients around the world providing certifications for CarbonNeutral companies, CarbonNeutral services and CarbonNeutral products.UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
, for example, offers carbon neutral shipping, SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
provides carbon neutral fights, and Avis Europe
Avis Europe
Avis Europe plc is a United Kingdom-based company which holds the licence to operate the two main vehicle rental brands of Avis Budget Group in Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as Asia in the case of Avis...
has carbon neutral operations and offers carbon neutral driving.
See also
- Mitigation of global warmingMitigation of global warmingClimate change mitigation is action to decrease the intensity of radiative forcing in order to reduce the potential effects of global warming. Mitigation is distinguished from adaptation to global warming, which involves acting to tolerate the effects of global warming...
- Climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
- Carbon neutralCarbon neutralCarbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...
- Carbon offsets
- ICROA (Industry group of carbon offset providers)